Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick (1851); Typee (1846), a romanticized account of his experiences in Polynesia; and Billy Budd, Sailor, a posthumously published novella. Although his reputation was not high at the time of his death, the 1919 centennial of his birth was the starting point of a Melville revival, and Moby-Dick grew to be considered one of the great American novels.
Melville was born in New York City, the third child of a prosperous merchant whose death in 1832 left the family in dire financial straits. He took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship and then on the whaler Acushnet, but he jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. Typee, his first book, and its sequel, Omoo (1847), were travel-adventures based on his encounters with the peoples of the island. Their success gave him the financial security to marry Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of the Boston jurist Lemuel Shaw. Mardi (1849), a romance-adventure and his first book not based on his own experience, was not well received. Redburn (1849) and White-Jacket (1850), both tales based on his experience as a well-born young man at sea, were given respectable reviews, but did not sell well enough to support his expanding family.
Melville's growing literary ambition showed in Moby-Dick (1851), which took nearly a year and a half to write, but it did not find an audience, and critics scorned his psychological novel Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (1852). From 1853 to 1856, Melville published short fiction in magazines, including "Benito Cereno" and "Bartleby, the Scrivener". In 1857, he traveled to England, toured the Near East, and published his last work of prose, The Confidence-Man (1857). He moved to New York in 1863, eventually taking a position as United States customs inspector.
From that point, Melville focused his creative powers on poetry. Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866) was his poetic reflection on the moral questions of the American Civil War. In 1867, his eldest child Malcolm died at home from a self-inflicted gunshot. Melville's metaphysical epic Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land was published in 1876. In 1886, his other son Stanwix died of apparent tuberculosis, and Melville retired. During his last years, he privately published two volumes of poetry, and left one volume unpublished. The novella Billy Budd was left unfinished at his death, but was published posthumously in 1924. Melville died from cardiovascular disease in 1891.
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Some of their strengths
Herman Melville has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Passionate, Intelligent, Independent, Imaginative, Creative, Trustworthy, and Sensual.
Bold and Confident
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Herman Melville is someone who is a bold, confident, energetic, and optimistic person, who is able to combine personal warmth and charisma with intelligence. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Warm and Caring
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Herman Melville well know them as someone who can be warm, caring, and compassionate, like a lamp or torch.
Productive and Perseverent
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Herman Melville as someone who is productive, persevering, deliberate, and direct.
A person who is creative, has good luck with work and money, good listening skills, good relationships with people at work, is a good teacher or counselor, and who is good at organizing groups, teams, or causes.
Charismatic and Instinctual
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Herman Melville is someone who handles stress better than most people, and who tends to have a powerful charisma and convictions.
They are also someone who is intuitive, imaginative, and an agent of change, and who is always dreaming of life's great possibilities and partnering with people to try to achieve those possibilities.
Creative and Leadership-oriented
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Herman Melville tends to be someone who is a natural leader, with determination, motivational powers, and who takes obligations seriously. Who has charisma, a sense of humor, and who tends to attract attention.
Some of Herman Melville's challenges
While Herman Melville has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Herman Melville can be Stubborn, Arrogant, Status-seeking, Impulsive, Careless, Idle, and Possessive.
Arrogant and Status-seeking
One of Herman Melville's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as arrogant and status-seeking.
Herman Melville must also exercise caution as they can be excessive and unrealistic.
Possessive and Stubborn
Herman Melville is someone who can be possessive, jealous, inflexible, and stubborn, can have a habit of being a frivolous spender, and who can feel insecure or cynical in romantic relationships and have difficulty forming productive personal and professional partnerships.
Domineering and Stubborn
Finally, Herman Melville also can be too rebellious, not respond to criticism well, and be too emotional and extreme about things.
